With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India is the world’s largest democracy. Over the past decade, the country’s integration into the global economy has been accompanied by economic growth. India has now emerged as a global player.
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Malnutrition is one of India's most
serious and persistent problems. While nutrition outcomes
across India are poor, they are typically worse in tribal
and backward... Show More + areas. The South Asia food and nutrition
security initiative (SAFANSI) has provided funding to the
national rural livelihoods mission (NRLM) to strengthen the
capacity of government and or communities to deliver
effective food and nutrition security interventions in
tribal and conflict-affected areas. This study seeks to
examine how the NRLM can enhance the effectiveness of the
program's core livelihoods focus, while strengthening
the capacity of the Government of India (GoI) to deliver (or
support) effective food and nutrition security (FNS)
interventions in tribal and backward areas. In order to make
sustainable and positive changes going forward, it will be
critical to support FNS as a core approach for tribal areas.
Empowered self-help groups can bridge service delivery gaps,
increase awareness and utilization of programs, or advocate
for improved coverage and service quality. Show Less -

Private sugar processors in Andhra
Pradesh, India use an unusual form of vertical coordination.
They issue 'permits' to selected cane growers a
few weeks before harvest.... Show More + These permits specify the amount
of cane to be delivered during a narrow time period. This
article investigates why processors create uncertainty among
farmers using ex post permits instead of ex ante production
contracts. The theoretical model predicts that ex post
permits are more profitable than ex ante contracts or the
spot market under existing government regulations in the
sugar sector, which include a binding price floor for cane
and the designation of a reserve area for each processor
wherein it has a legal monopsony for cane. The use of ex
post permits creates competition among farmers to increase
cane quality, which increases processor profits and farmer
costs. Empirical analysis supports the hypothesis that
farmers operating in private factory areas have higher unit
production costs than do their counterparts who patronize cooperatives. Show Less -

This study seeks to examine how National
Rural Livelihoods Mission or NRLM may be leveraged to
improve food and nutrition security (FNS) in tribal areas,
preferably... Show More + in a manner that would enhance the effectiveness
of the program's core livelihoods focus. More broadly,
the objective is to strengthen the capacity of the
Government of India (GoI) to deliver (or support) effective
FNS interventions in tribal and backward areas (TABAs). As
such, the study aims to do the following: develop the
evidence base on those constraints which STs face with
regard to achieving food security and favorable nutritional
outcomes; examine approaches which have been used to address
issues of poor nutrition elsewhere in India or abroad to
identify interventions that could be effective in tribal
areas; and Recommend models for improving FNS in tribal
areas within the context of NRLM. The primary focus of this
work is operationally oriented toward identifying entry
points for NRLM to address tribal malnutrition as it expands
into states with larger tribal communities, particularly
Jharkhand and Odisha. Show Less -

Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand, and West Bengal, with their high concentration of
population, agricultural productivity, and growing
manufacturing... Show More + activities are economically important for
India. The construction of the corridor has the potential to
increase inter-state connectivity as well as regional
linkages with Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the port of Mumbai,
which can in turn spur economic activity and regional
integration. The purpose of this report is to provide an
overview of demographic trends, human development
indicators, and economic structure in the six states, as a
preliminary repository of data and analysis. This report is
intended to help identify detailed technical assistance,
better inform policy priorities, and well-targeted
investment decisions that leverage planned and ongoing
infrastructure projects such as the corridor. The report is
structured as follows: (1) introduction; (2) overview of the
six corridor states encompassing urbanization, poverty,
human development performance, and economic profiles; (3)
state-level overview of demographic and economic development
performance, disaggregated economic structure, and commodity
movements; and (4) conclusion. Show Less -

The objective of the Technology Center
Systems Program Project for India is to enhance the
productivity of Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise, or
MSMEs by improving... Show More + their access to technology and business
advisory services as well as skilled workers through systems
of financially sustainable Technology Centers (TCs). There
are three components to the project, the first component
being technical assistance to the existing and new
technology centers. The TCs and their private sector clients
will benefit, for the duration of the program, from the
technical assistance of world class firms that will provide
superior technology related inputs with respect to the
technological and business needs. These two streams of
technical assistance will run in parallel and inform each
other under the guidance of industry specific joint working
groups comprising the main industry leaders and
representatives. The second component is the investments to
develop new and upgrade existing technology centers.
Finally, the third component is the technical assistance to
the MSME Ministry for Program implementation and Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E). The M&E system will include,
in particular, independent surveys of customers and
stakeholders (including potential private competitors to the
TCs) to assess the transformative impact of the program, as
well as to ensure there is no significant crowding-out of
the private sector. Such surveys will be designed and
launched during the first year of program implementation. Show Less -

The infrastructure sector has seen
unprecedented changes in India with exponential growth due
to changing economic landscape and development in the
country. Massive... Show More + investments are required to be made across
a range of sectors like power, ports, roads, railways,
health, education, and aviation. The complexity and scale of
these infrastructure projects has increased significantly
and a typical project now takes anywhere from six to ten
years to complete. The World Bank commissioned a study in
early 2013 on introducing and enhancing the use of
information technology (IT) based interventions and
solutions in the management of construction projects and
programs to enhance efficiency, transparency, and governance
in delivery, thereby increasing their success and impact
potential. The study concluded with a guidance note which
targets implementing agencies and project managers with
practical steps on adopting e-tools and how e-tools can
contribute to improve construction project management and
delivery. Building on the study, it is acknowledged that
implementation of e-tools in infrastructure project can be
promoted through address knowledge and information gaps. The
World Bank and Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)
organized a workshop in order to disseminate the guidance
note information among implementing agencies and to promote
use of e-tools in the management of public sector
infrastructure projects in India. In this context, the
report presents background; objective; and key messages from
the keynote addresses. Show Less -

Noncompliance with regulations by
enterprises is said to be rife in developing countries. Yet
there is limited systematic evidence of the magnitude of
noncompliance... Show More + at the enterprise level. Making innovative use
of two complementary data sources, this paper quantifies
noncompliance for India's Factories Act without the
question of illegality ever being raised directly with
enterprises. The paper finds that more than twice as many
firms are not complying as are complying. Further, the
number of noncompliant firms is much larger than the number
of firms adjusting out of the regulation. Thus noncompliance
with the Factories Act is a key feature of the "missing
middle" in India. The paper explores the main trends
and patterns of noncompliance and highlights a number of key
issues for further analytical and policy research. Show Less -

Community-driven programs in South Asia
have traditionally used local facilitators to disseminate
information and external best practices. However, the
massive scale... Show More + of these programs has made this strategy both
a time-consuming and an expensive exercise. Livelihoods
projects in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Madhya
Pradesh have piloted an innovative information and
communications technology (ICT) based rural digital
libraries project in collaboration with digital green, a
non-profit organization in India. Digital green trains
members of local communities about group facilitation,
videography, and basic video production. These libraries are
a decentralized, localized solution that combines the
institutional platform with a digital knowledge platform to
create multiple nodes of communication and learning in rural
communities across the country. These localized solutions
are created by face-to face experiments by communities
empowering them and improving the adoption rate of new
technologies. Leveraging a video production and screening
platform, community organizations have started to develop a
localized, scalable model for agricultural extension,
financial literacy, health and nutritional awareness, and
technology and livelihood training. Show Less -

Villgro is a business incubator with a
unique rural orientation. It concerns itself not only with
the launch of new businesses but more generally with the
transfer of... Show More + new products, knowledge, and services into rural
space. Faced with the challenge of finding technologies that
match rural requirements, Villgro has linked marketable
product and service concepts from diverse sources with
entrepreneurs who have start-up experience - so-called
serial entrepreneurs. Other incubators may have difficulty
imitating Villgro's business model. The conditions for
its development are unique, its management approaches are
relatively untested, and the values of its management team
are deeply intertwined with perceptions of how the rural
business system operates in India. However, other startup
incubators can learn from Villgro the importance of getting
management basics right before attempting to transform an
entire agricultural sector. Good governance, transparency,
accountability, building teams around highly capable
employees, and continuously enhancing management skills are
important no matter the strategic orientation of the
emerging incubator. Show Less -

The development objective of the
Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar Project for India
is to enhance teacher effectiveness through institutional
reforms and improvements... Show More + in teacher management and
accountability. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation
measures include: (1) carrying out dissemination and
awareness raising activities amongst teachers about the work
of the grievance mechanisms; (2) ensuring that all necessary
staffing is available with adequate skills; (3) building
dissemination and awareness raising activities for
environmental and social due diligence measures into the
Bihar teacher education (TE) program; and (4) undertaking
inclusive on-going consultations with stakeholders and
developing a training program for implementers. Show Less -

The agribusiness incubator in the state
of Andhra Pradesh in India is the result of a partnership
between the Indian government and an international
crop-research organization... Show More + that is a member of CGIAR, a
global partnership of organizations seeking a food-secure
future. As the incubator has developed, it has become
relatively independent of its founders, the International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
and the Indian governments Department of Science and
Technology. From supporting small businesses that can bring
new agricultural research and technology to market, ABI has
become an incubator of incubators, and is now helping
African incubators follow its model. Show Less -

Non-compliance with regulations by
enterprises is said to be rife in developing countries. Yet
there is limited systematic evidence of the magnitude of
non-compliance... Show More + at the enterprise level. Making innovative
use of two complementary data sources, non-compliance for
India's Factories Act has been quantified without the
question of illegality ever being raised directly with
enterprises. It is found that more than twice as many firms
are not complying as are complying. Further, the number of
non-compliant firms is much larger than the number of firms
adjusting out of the regulation. Thus non-compliance with
the Factories is a key feature of the "missing
middle" in India. The main trends and patterns of
non-compliance are explored herein and key issues for
further analytical and policy research are highlighted. Show Less -

The development objective of the
Technology Center Systems Project for India is enhancing
micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access to
transformative technologies... Show More + and increasing the number of
skilled workers, through systems of financially sustainable
technology centers. Negative impacts include: fast rusting
of equipment, uncomfortable working conditions, floods,
tsunami, cyclones, marshy land, loss of agricultural fertile
land, additional expenditure towards relocation, interrupted
or limited supply of water, damage to religious or cultural
structures, soil erosion, air and noise pollution,
occupational health hazards, disposal of debris and other
wastes, and spread of sexually transmittable diseases like
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Mitigation
measures include: (1) keeping finished and semi-finished
products in control environment to avoid rusting; (2)
maintaining cooling and heating arrangements to provide
appropriate working condition for the employees; (3)
constructing building structures strong enough to sustain
certain degree of natural calamities like earthquake,
cyclones; (4) identifying alternate land for development;
(5) identifying alternate sources of water to ensure
sustained availability; (6) taking necessary and adequate
care to minimize impact on cultural properties or religious
structure; (7) providing compensation for land and any
existing assets on the basis of current government norms;
(8) ensuring that the construction activity immediately
follows the clearing of land to avoid soil erosion; (9)
sprinkling water at regular intervals during excavation and
drilling activities; and (10) conducting awareness programs
regularly for workers on AIDS, and other health related issues. Show Less -

The development objective of the
Technology Center Systems Project for India is enhancing
micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access to
transformative technologies... Show More + and increasing the number of
skilled workers, through systems of financially sustainable
technology centers. Negative impacts include: fast rusting
of equipment, uncomfortable working conditions, floods,
tsunami, cyclones, marshy land, loss of agricultural fertile
land, additional expenditure towards relocation, interrupted
or limited supply of water, damage to religious or cultural
structures, soil erosion, air and noise pollution,
occupational health hazards, disposal of debris and other
wastes, and spread of sexually transmittable diseases like
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Mitigation
measures include: (1) keeping finished and semi-finished
products in control environment to avoid rusting; (2)
maintaining cooling and heating arrangements to provide
appropriate working condition for the employees; (3)
constructing building structures strong enough to sustain
certain degree of natural calamities like earthquake,
cyclones; (4) identifying alternate land for development;
(5) identifying alternate sources of water to ensure
sustained availability; (6) taking necessary and adequate
care to minimize impact on cultural properties or religious
structure; (7) providing compensation for land and any
existing assets on the basis of current government norms;
(8) ensuring that the construction activity immediately
follows the clearing of land to avoid soil erosion; (9)
sprinkling water at regular intervals during excavation and
drilling activities; and (10) conducting awareness programs
regularly for workers on AIDS, and other health related issues. Show Less -